Behind the Lines: Podcast 
Speaker Up
TEXAS MONTHLY asked each of the candidates for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives to submit statements on why they think they should hold the highly coveted gavel. Here’s what they had to say.
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Under my leadership, we will replace pie-in-the-sky projects like the Trans-Texas Corridor with an aggressive plan to once again make Texas freeways and highways the envy of the nation.
The education of our children will no longer get mere lip service with lowering standards to improve passing rates. Instead, our children will be taught in a way that will allow them to acquire the jobs they will need once they enter the workforce. We will train and educate our children to earn the good-paying jobs they need and deserve to make this state’s future even brighter.
When state government shows even the slightest surplus, we will return that money to its owners—the taxpayers. The Rainy Day fund is the taxpayer’s insurance policy against catastrophes, and as a conservative Speaker, I will not let it be drained for pet projects.
And finally, as Speaker, I will shoot straight with the people who sent us here. When we promise something, we are going to deliver. No more fake insurance rate reductions. No more fake, antiquated appraisals. No more fake property tax cuts. No more! Under my leadership, the eighty-first legislature will tackle education, appraisal reform, transportation, and repeal of the business margin tax.
What we can deliver, we will, and we must under my speakership. What we can’t, we will explain to the people and let them be the judge. I have great confidence in the members of the House, and they will, with God’s grace, demonstrate to the people of Texas a reason to have greater confidence in their government.
After the Battle of San Jacinto, Captain Billingsley wrote: “On that day was born on a nation of freemen. Who was instrumental in producing so glorious an event, let a discerning world say.” The challenge before us today, is to make sure Captain Billingsley’s love for freedom lives on.
Rep. Alan Ritter, D-Nederland:
I am running for Speaker for one reason—to restore the tradition that the Speaker represents all the members, not just a few.
Lately we have seen repeated abuse of House rules to accommodate a narrow partisan agenda. As Speaker, I would make sure that every member has an opportunity to represent his or her district and participate in the process.
I want to return power to the House members so that the House could remove a sitting Speaker for a loss of confidence in the Speaker’s leadership. I would also restore the seniority system to reduce the Speaker’s control over key committee assignments, open the Calendars process to make it fair and accessible to all House members, and return control of the flow of legislation to committee chairs and their committee members.
Members on both sides of the aisle tell me that they believe the current House leadership has disenfranchised members. I will reopen the process so that my colleagues can work in a bipartisan way to find solutions to the tough problems Texas faces.
The notion that a Speaker—a person elected as a state representative from a Texas city like Houston, Midland, or Nederland—gets elevated to be a state constitutional official is absurd and reckless.
Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston:
Two sessions ago, I embarked upon a campaign to inspire and transform the Texas House of Representatives. I have served under the leadership of five speakers and, as one of the most senior members of the Legislature, I have gained a great depth of knowledge and experience. But above all this, I have friends on both sides of the aisle, and I know how to build consensus. When I ran for Speaker in 2004, it was considered a dangerous thing to do; I was not afraid then, and I am not afraid now.
I have participated in every fight for the right issues, because I know that the freedoms of our constituents are lost unless fought for. The members of the House can count on me for support of their ideas and their legislation. We all have something to offer the citizens of this great state, and when all of us are given a chance to add to the discussion, the winners are the citizens of Texas.
It is time that the Texas House of Representatives stopped being divisive and started acting like a cohesive body of government again. It is the Speaker’s responsibility to establish trust among all members and maintain civility, and this is exactly what I intend to do.
As Speaker of the Texas House I will work to:
• Create an inclusive environment, so that every member can participate in the Democratic process and work on behalf of the interest of their constituents.
• Keep the pertinent issues facing Texas today salient in the minds of all members because we must not let our past differences and old grudges hinder our responsibilities to the people of Texas.
• Make the necessary adjustments to the House Rules so that we can avoid confusion and misinterpretation.
• Cultivate a staff that will promote the rules and procedures of the House so that they serve every member fairly and to the best of their abilities.
I firmly believe that when the House is functioning at its best we are greater than the sum of our parts. I ask all the members to join me in fighting the good fight for the conscience and the dignity of the Texas House. The citizens of this great state deserve no less, and it is incumbent that we, as elected officials, work toward this end. Together, in January, we will have a better House and, the day after that, a better Texas.
Speaker Pro Tem, Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston:
I have had the honor of working with three different Speakers and each had his own style. I have been in leadership positions under a Democratic Speaker as well as a Republican Speaker. I have witnessed the Legislature at its very best and have been a member of the Legislature when we could have functioned better. I have been a member when the House had a Democratic majority, and I have witnessed the change in power to a Republican majority. Throughout my twenty years in the House, I can say without hesitation that there are very capable and competent leaders in both parties; that these leaders come from urban and rural Texas; that when given an opportunity to showcase their talents and represent their districts, Texas as a whole is made better; that when we as members are mindful of our responsibility to maintain the dignity and integrity of the Texas House (the People’s House), we can disagree with reason and passion and yet find ways to reach a consensus for the greater good of Texas.
I believe members have every right to represent their districts while being mindful that we must also consider what is in Texas’s best interest. I believe we can disagree in committee and on the floor of the Texas House but those disagreements should be based on policy and other pertinent facts and not personality. I believe the seniority system should be honored and respected but the Speaker must make every effort to include, encourage, and develop the talents and gifts of less experienced members. Good ideas, leadership, and ability should be recognized and used. I believe the needs of every geographical region of this state must be considered, and legislators from those regions should be included in the leadership make-up of the Texas House. I believe the Texas House works best when we govern from the center.
Lastly, I have been Speaker Pro Tem since 2003. Since 1993, I have served on the Appropriations, Calendars, and State Affairs (now Regulated Industries) committees all at the same time. I have been Vice-Chair of Calendars, Vice-Chair of State Affairs, and Sub-Committee Chair of Criminal Justice and the Judiciary on the Appropriations Committee. In my twenty years in the Texas House, I have worked with and developed close relationships with members regardless of party affiliation or geography. When asked to preside over the chamber, I have done my best to maintain the order of the House and to treat members with the utmost respect and courtesy while getting the job done for the people of the State of Texas. I offer myself as a candidate for Speaker, and respect each member’s right to choose.
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